Category: News

ENNIS could be set for an employment boost after it was announced that up to 20 new jobs could be created in the town next month. Private bus company Dublin Coach has been granted a license from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to extend its service from Dublin Airport to include Ennis. The company, which is owned by Clare businessman John O’Sullivan, had previously been refused a license to extend its daily Limerick/Dublin service to include Ennis. However a special meeting of Ennis Town Council last month heard the company has been successful in its application following submissions to the NTA from the local authority, councilors and local businesses. In a letter to the council in May, Mr O’Sullivan stated the company was considering using Ennis as tourism “hub” due to the quality of bus parking facilities in the town centre. Last year the council spent € 76,000 on new bus and coach parking spaces and facilities in the Friars Walk area of the town. At the council meeting, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) told members that as many as 20 permanent jobs could be created in the town through Dublin Coach’s expansion into Ennis. Cllr Flynn told the meeting Mr O’Sullivan sees Ennis as a potential tourism hub from which to base bus tour services to Clare’s most popular tourist attractions. It is thought that a further 50 jobs could be created next year. In his letter to the council in May, Mr O’Sullivan, a native of Kilrush, indicated the service could boost tourist numbers in the town. “Currently we operate a coach service every hour in both directions between Limerick and Dublin. Having viewed your facility we believe there is real merit in extending this service to Ennis. This could translate into 16 departures and arrivals each day from your coach park to Dublin and Dublin Airport. This provides a real opportunity to attract tourists from Dublin to Ennis with such high frequency, low cost fast and comfortable connections,” he wrote.

ENNIS’ reputation as one of Ireland’s top tourism towns was further enhanced when it was one of the best places to visit.

Fáilte Ireland last week honoured Ennis as one of the top ten towns in Ireland making a difference to tourism, at the 2013 Tourism Towns Awards Ceremony in Dublin. The highest accolade went to Kil kenny who won the national title of Ireland’s Tourism Town 2013. The Medieval town was chosen from a shor tlist of ten top tourism towns including Ennis.

The Fáilte Ireland judging panel praised the town’s “historical, archaeological and cult ure heritage while retaining the best of its nat ural envi ronment”.

They continued, “Shopping in Ennis is a delightful experience and the range and quality of attractions is commendable as is the range of accommodation and food offerings.”

Congratulating Ennis on reaching the top ten, CEO of Fáilte Ireland Shaun Quinn said, “I would li ke to commend the community of Ennis for making the top ten at this year’s Tourism Town Awards. You are a great example of what can be achieved in tourism when all the local elements are aligned with a common pur pose. I hope that the towns and villages recognised today will inspi re other communities across Ireland to take similar steps.”

Speaking about thei r involvement with the award, Teresa McGrath, Ennis Tidy Towns Coordinator, said, “Resulting from our par ticipation in the Fáilte Ireland Tourism Towns competition, various tourism interests have come together to share thei r views, thei r experiences, thei r plans, thei r concerns for the tourism products of the town and its hinterland. There has been lively and valuable discussion on the various tourist products of which Ennis can boast and the way in which these products can be promoted.”

Ms McGrath continued, “The emphasis on sense of place in the competition has shar pened the focus that product providers have of the uniqueness of the Ennis experience, a uniqueness that has a broad appeal, not only to the visitors from across the seas but also to Irish people in Ireland seeking an affordable, safe and fun holiday on the island. The various sections and stages of the competition provide a roadmap for the development of Ennis as a leading Irish tourism town.”

A LARGE search involving dozens of members of the Killaloe Unit of the Irish Coast Guard, the RNLI and members of the Gardaí too place in Scariff, last Friday evening.

The emergency services were tasked to locate a missing male in the Scariff area late on Friday evening. A combined land and water search was undertaken, with a large number of emergency responders focusing their efforts on the area around Scariff Bay.

The water searched was aided by the Irish Coast Guard Helicopter from Shannon, and the Killaloe Ballina Search and Recovery Dive Unit. The missing person turned up distraught but safe after the three hour search.

“On Friday night we responded to a report of a missing person in the Scariff area. It was an extensive search of a relatively small area as the search teams had to focus on both a land and sea search,” said Joe Doolin of the Killaloe Unit of the Irish Coast Guard.

“After a search of about two and a half hours the person was located safe and well. He did not require any major medical attention.”

The Killaloe Unit of the Irish Coast Guard has had one of its most busy years on record so far in 2013. With a month of this year still to go, the unit has already logged more than 229 operational hours so far in 2013 – an increase of 179 per cent on the number of hours of active service in 2012.

The number of incidents responded to has also increased to 39, this represents a 26 per cent year on year increase, while the unit has given aid to 59 individuals – a 52 per cent increase on 2012.

In June of this year the unit undertook one of its largest ever mass rescues when a regatta on Lough Derg descended into chaos following a suddenly deterioration in the weather.

The unit brought more than 40 people ashore in an hour with many of them being treated for hypothermia.

A 20-YEAER-OLD man involved in burglaries in which € 11,000 in cash and jewellery was stolen from homes in Shannon this year has escaped a prison sentence.

Jamie Considine was warned he could be still be sent to jail if he stepped out of line over the next few months. At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Mr Considine pleaded guilty to his role in eight burglaries that occurred in the Tullyglass, Inis Sioda, Tullyvarraga and Dun Na Óir areas of Shannon between January 11 and March 22.

Mr Considine, with an address at The Magnet, O’Donoghue Avenue, Janesboro, Limerick, was one of a group of people who broke into the unoccupied family homes.

The court heard Mr Considine did not enter all of the houses but acted as a lookout on some occasions. He was paid in drugs for his role in the offences, the court heard.

The court heard the items taken from the houses included large sums of cash, valuable pieces of jewelry and commemorative medals.

Insp Michael Gallagher said the owners returned to find their homes ransacked. Judge Patrick Durcan said he reluctantly accepted jurisdiction.

Defence solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client had indicated he would be pleading guilty at an early stage. He said Mr Considine, who has now moved to Ballybunion, fully cooperated with gardaí and has no previous convictions.

The court heard that at the time the offences were committed, Mr Considine was abusing cannabis, cocaine, heroin and Xanax.

Mr Hassett said his client has abided by strict bail conditions and his efforts and commitment to give up drugs has impressed the Probation Services. Judge Durcan said a 12-month prison sentence would send out the message that burglaries would not be tolerated.

Asked for his views on the crimes, Insp Gallagher said eight families had suffered the ordeal of these burglaries. “I know if it happened to me, I’d hate to see them walk free,” he added. Judge Durcan adjourned sentencing for a brief period. When the case was re-called, Judge Durcan said he was going to remand Mr Considine on continuing bail, subject to conditions outlined by the Probation Services, to appear again in court on March 12, 2014.

The State were granted liberty to re-enter the cases at 24 hours notice.

“If you step out of line between now and March, everything comes back,” Judge Durcan warned. Mr Considine thanked Judge Durcan for giving him a chance.

LOTTO players in Quin were anxiously checking their numbers at the weekend as news broke that the € 5.5m jackpot ticket was sold in Corbett’s shop in the village.

The winning ticket, which was worth € 5,553,404 was a € 4 Quick Pick purchased on Saturday.

As of Monday night there was no confirmation of Saturday’s lucky winner with locals only speculating about the winner.

“The pubs are buzzing with who might have won it. I’ve heard three names already,” a local told The Clare People on monday afternoon.

This is the second big win in the county in three months. In August, a Lotto jackpot worth more than € 6 million was won by a Limerick woman who also bought a € 4 Quick Pick at Kennedy’s Centra, Lahinch.

In May 2012, Liddy’s Costcutters, Roslevan, Ennis, sold a € 2.6 million ticket.

TWO of the Labour Party’s local election conventions will be held in the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis, on Thursday, ahead of the party’s conference at the weekend.

Two candidates are expected to be selected from the new look Shannon constituency, with one candidate to be selected in Ennis.

Shannon has always provided a strong base for the Labour party with two members currently on the town council.

On Thursday, the party’s only county councillor Pascal Fitzgerald and current Shannon town councillor Tony McMahon will go before convention, with both expected to be selected.

The contest will therefore be for the Ennis Municipal District with two contenders in the race – current vice-chairperson of the party Seamus Ryan and long-serving member Dermot Hayes who began his political interest with Democratic Left.

Up to 55 members will vote to decide which of the two men will contest the election in the Ennis area.

A Labour candidate was elected to the Ennis Town Council in 2009, Paul O’Shea, but he later left the party in protest and declared as an Independent town councillor.

Meanwhile the party conventions for the West Clare area and Killaloe will not be held until after Christmas.

Names such as Darren Hayes, now living in Liscannor, have been mooted for the western constituency.

Killaloe is proving more difficult however, as the sitting Killaloe councillor, Cllr Fitzgerald, is forced to contest the Shannon area election this time around due to a change in the boundary.

REPORTS on the development potential of the Shannon Estuary date back to the 1960s, but the Strategic Integrated Framework Plan for the Shannon Estuary launched on Friday afternoon is ground breaking, those in attendance were told.

Gordon Daly, Senior Planner with Clare County Council, said the report was the first of its kind in the country as it mapped out future development and management of marine-related industry and tourism along Ireland’s largest estuary.

“We’ve talked about it and around it for years. We have had reports Arthur Young 1989, Brady Shipman 1999, Ewbank Preece 1989 and PWC 1998. Now finally we have done something positive in putting this plan in place,” said Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins.

He asked that the Oirechtais members present to ensure the Government “pick up and move on this plan”.

Minister for Housing and Planning Jan O’Sullivan vowed Government support for the strategy that identifies nine ‘Strategic Development Locations’ on the Estuary, including Moneypoint and Innismurry/Cahercon on the Clare side.

It also identified designated Shell Fish Waters at Poulnasherry Bay and Carrigaholt Bay and pointed to opportunities at Rinevella Bay, Killimer and Clonderlaw Bay.

The plan supported by 19 bodies including the lead organisation, Clare County Council, recognises the tourism potential of the estuary and includes objectives to further develop the cruise ship industry, while it highlights the potential of the Islands on the Fergus Estuary.

Meanwhile, the strategy features objectives relating to aviation and supports the future development of Shannon Airport, including acknowledging the importance of the 2000- acre land bank zoned for aviation uses in the Shannon Town and Environs Local Area Plan 2012-2018.

Balancing the industrial development of the estuary with the environmental needs of the area was the greatest challenge when drawing up the plan, all agreed.

County manager Tom Coughlan said that there were tensions at times between the protection of the estuary and the development of the estuary.

“The estuary also has a wealth of natural heritage and biodiversity system and the whole area is designated as a special area of conservation because of the presence of a number of important species. They are located through out the whole estuary, but the rich diversity of wild life and natural heritage in the area does not mean the development and the potential economic future of the area is off the agenda. It simply means that development in the overall area requires sensitive and careful management and I think we are all very much aware of that,” added Minister O’Sullivan. Without such a plan there is a risk of missed opportunity.”

“Looking the future the steering partners have agreed to stay in place. The challenge now going forward is to maximise the social economic and environmental protection of the estuary,” said Mr Coughlan.

CLARE resident Gerry Harrison last night spilled the beans on his time with the greatest band that ever lived. Gerry, who founded Banner Books in Ennistymon, was the assistant director of the legendary Beatles’ 1967 film ‘Magical Mystery Tour’.

During filming, Gerry struck up a friendship with both John Lennon and Paul McCartney and would go on to work with both men even after the break up of the Beatles.

In addition to working on ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, Gerry also worked on ‘London Town’, ‘Venus and Mars’ and ‘Mull of Kintyre’ with Paul McCartney and he spent a week working on the film of ‘Imagine’ with John Lennon.

“It was a great time. I am very much part of that sex and drugs and rock and roll generation. We lived in Notting Hill, which was the height of hip London at that time,” he said.

“Down the road was Island Records, in the next street there was Van Morrison and the band that played in the local church was called Pink Floyd.”

Gerry first worked with the Beatles on the filming of the ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, the first project completed by the Fab Four after the death of the manager Brian Epstein.

“There was no script so I was worried from the beginning. My job involved planning ahead, on extras and locations. I had to ask Paul McCarthy for a script on the first day and they found something for me.

“But what was interesting was the concept, which was illustrated as a circle by Paul McCarthy. At that time Paul was basically in charge because Brian Epstein had just died. It was a sort-of a Buddhist wheel of life and Paul put in different scenes at different places around the wheel.

“Every day of filming was mystery, but it wasn’t very magical. It was hard work in many cases. This [the film] derived from the whole concept of taking a ‘trip’ and the whole LSD thing was very important.

“I think the film was largely a reinaction [or actual experience that the Beatles had]. I remember the rehearsed lines. There was a scene between Paul and [Welsh actor] Victor Spinetti, that was the most structured part of the whole movie. The rest really was a mystery.”

A full feature interview about Gerry and his time with the Beatles will appear in next week’s Clare People . Gerry spoke about his time with the Beatles at Trinity College last night.

A SUB group of the Regional Drug Taskforce has been established to tackle a heroin problem in the town of Kilrush, as experts try to ascertain if there is a serious deep-rooted problem in the West Clare town.

Gardaí in Kilrush, in conjunction with the National Drugs Unit, have been tackling the supply issue with a special five-month undercover operation spanning the end of last year and the first quarter of this year.

A total of 1,400 Garda man-hours were used in the investigation and sting that resulted in at least eight arrests that have come before the courts so far. The Clare People has learnt that a special “drop-in clinic” for drug addicts was opened in the town eight weeks ago, to deal with the sociocriminal problem that has taken hold for the last year.

Regional drugs coordinator with the HSE Rory Keane said a heroin issue in a town of this size is usually attributed to a social-economic issue and supply.

Last week three of those arrested in the Garda drug ‘sting’ were sentenced in the District Court.

Meanwhile Mr Keane said the health service has been aware of a problem in the town for the last year. He added that a specialist team made up of the HSE Drug and Alcohol Service, Mid Western Regional Task Force, Bushy Park and the Community Substance Misuse Team, were now working in the town to examine the general drug issues including heroin.

The special drop-in clinic will close in the next few weeks and the body will regroup to assess the situation.

“It has been a concern for the last 12 months that there does seem to be a pocket of heroin use in Kilrush that would not be on other parts of the county,” said the drugs specialist.

“Availability would be an issue. The other concerns would be social-economic factors and issues of unemployment, motivation and poverty.

“A drug problem might come up centred around a few individuals or a supply issue in a rural area,” he explained adding that the concern in Kilrush was the problem was established for longer than would be expected in a town of its size.

“It is too early yet to say if it is a deep-rooted problem or a long-term episodic issue. We are not in a position to predict what will happen,” he said.

“My sense from talking to people is it is definitely a social and economic issue here,” said Mr Keane adding that it is no coincident that you see an increase in drug use at times of economic difficulties.

“There is a strong link between poverty and heroin. One of the challenges facing us is that it does leak across life and affects all facets of life.”

In Kilrush court last week one father told how he found his son in a “place” where drug addict go “to shoot up and smoke” not too far away from the court house.

Kilrush District Court Judge, Patrick Durcan described the amount of damage being done by heroin to Kilrush as “horrific”.

He asked that local businesses be vigilant and ensure it is not easily sold on their premises or car parks.

DETAILS of the HSE’s application were outlined at Ennis District Court on Wednesday where the boy appeared on assault and criminal damage charges arising out of an alleged incident in East Clare on November 6. A HSE social care worker told the court the HSE had been forced to look outside the jurisdiction for a secure place because of the waiting list that exists in Ireland.

The woman said an application will be made to the High Court and the authorities in Scotland have been notified of the placement.

It is proposed that the boy will stay in St Mary’s for a total of four months, which will comprise a threemonth secure placement and one month step down placement.

A Scottish Government Child Safety and Wellbeing report on the costs of secure accommodation show the average cost per secure bed per week at St Mary’s during 2011-12 was £5,160, ranging from £5,060 to £5,410. The estimated cost of the teenager’s stay in the unit could be € 61,920. The court heard that another troubled teenager from Dublin is also staying in the unit. The social worker told the court the HSE would pay the cost of the placement.

In response to questions from Judge Patrick Durcan, the woman said she did not have the cost of placing the boy in secure accommodation in Scotland.

Judge Durcan asked the cost of the placement be given to the Court Services.

Judge Durcan said he was “not happy” about the application but said that the HSE hare the statutory body with responsibility for child welfare.

The court heard the boy is being placed in a secure unit as it gives him the best chance of transitioning to a stable life in adulthood. The woman said the boy is looking forward to going to Scotland. The court heard the boy had been living with his wheelchair bound uncle as his father is in prison.

St Mary’s is a secure unit that accommodates 24 children. According to its website, it has a variety of recreational facilities including a sevenaside Astroturf pitch, gymnasium, fitness suite and swimming pool. In 2008, the unit was the scene of violent riot that resulted in £200,000 worth of damage. The teen’s cases were adjourned to Killaloe District Court on May 6. The Clare People submitted a number of questions to the HSE but no response had been received at time of going to print.